Updated November 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Portage, Michigan (November 2026)
Lanefinder tracks 362 W2 trucking carriers hiring in Portage, Michigan. Rankings below reflect November 2026 data: pay percentiles, FMCSA safety, benefit prevalence, and operational performance. Herrington Transportation Inc. leads with an average weekly pay of $2,000. McLeod Express LLC follows at $1,600/week. Michigan is the US automotive manufacturing heartland, with Detroit and the I-94 / I-75 corridor carrying dense parts-and-assembly flows and Great Lakes ports at Detroit, Muskegon, and Sault Ste. Marie handling bulk commodities.
What changed in November 2026
SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC at #6, MNS1 EXPRESS INC at #8, and Mountain States L.P. Gas at #10 are new to the top 50 in Portage, Michigan. Biggest climbs: Herrington Transportation Inc. (#36 → #1) and FW TRUCKING (#17 → #3). Biggest fall: LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (#1 → #22). Elsewhere in the top 50, 4 carriers joined, 7 left, 38 changed rank, and 1 changed pay or benefits.
All changes since October 2026
| Carrier | Last month | This month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herrington Transportation Inc. | #36 | #1 | Up 35 places |
| McLeod Express LLC | #7 | #2 | Up 5 placesweekly pay down 1.5% ($1,625 → $1,600) |
| FW TRUCKING | #17 | #3 | Up 14 places |
| True Transport Inc. | #11 | #4 | Up 7 places |
| PREMIER TRANSPORTATION | #2 | #5 | Down 3 places |
| SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC | Not ranked | #6 | New |
| JK MOVING & STORAGE INC | #3 | #7 | Down 4 places |
| MNS1 EXPRESS INC | Not ranked | #8 | New |
| Covenant Transport Inc | #4 | #9 | Down 5 places |
| Mountain States L.P. Gas | Not ranked | #10 | New |
| DICK LAVY TRUCKING | Not ranked | #11 | New |
| PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC | #6 | #12 | Down 6 places |
| ARKA EXPRESS INC | Not ranked | #13 | New |
| South East Carriers INC | #5 | #14 | Down 9 places |
| Badger Express LLC | #8 | #15 | Down 7 places |
| Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc. | #9 | #16 | Down 7 places |
| JS HELWIG & SON LLC | #10 | #17 | Down 7 places |
| G-DIAMOND TRANSPORT INC | #12 | #18 | Down 6 places |
| ALBA TRANS INC | #13 | #19 | Down 6 places |
| ELBERTA LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL LLC | #14 | #20 | Down 6 places |
| C & G TRANSPORTATION INC | #16 | #21 | Down 5 places |
| LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY | #1 | #22 | Down 21 places |
| MC CARRIER LLC | #18 | #23 | Down 5 places |
| BRADY TRUCKING INC | #15 | #24 | Down 9 places |
| HOLLAND ENTERPRISES INC | #22 | #25 | Down 3 places |
| KEN GRAHAM TRUCKING INC | #20 | #26 | Down 6 places |
| A & H INC | #26 | #27 | Down 1 place |
| RIVER CITY TRANSPORT INC | #24 | #28 | Down 4 places |
| KEYSTONE TRANSPORT SERVICES LLC | Not ranked | #29 | New |
| AFC Transport, Inc | #27 | #30 | Down 3 places |
| PASCAL CARRIER INC | #25 | #31 | Down 6 places |
| Z TRANSPORTATION INC | #33 | #32 | Up 1 place |
| AN ENTERPRISE INC | #30 | #33 | Down 3 places |
| Excel Trucking LLC | #31 | #34 | Down 3 places |
| EA EXPRESS LLC | #32 | #35 | Down 3 places |
| BARTELS TRUCK LINE INC | #35 | #36 | Down 1 place |
| LUCKY WORLD INC | Not ranked | #37 | New |
| GURTLER INDUSTRIES INC | #40 | #39 | Up 1 place |
| HUTCHINSON TRUCKING LLC | #39 | #40 | Down 1 place |
| TDR TRANSPORT | #42 | #41 | Up 1 place |
| JL LOGISTICS INC | #43 | #42 | Up 1 place |
| CTK LOGISTICS LLC | #44 | #43 | Up 1 place |
| DRAKE FARMS TRUCKING INC | #46 | #44 | Up 2 places |
| SEMO EXPRESS LLC | #47 | #46 | Up 1 place |
| EAGLE EYE TRUCK LINES LLC | #48 | #47 | Up 1 place |
| S & R TRANSPORTATION LLC | #49 | #48 | Up 1 place |
| National Express Carriers | #50 | #49 | Up 1 place |
| REISCH TRUCKING INC | #41 | #50 | Down 9 places |
| H & M TRUCKING INC | #19 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WESTERN MOUNTAIN TRANSPORT INC | #21 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WILLIAMS PRESTIGE ENTERPRISE | #23 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| M&D TRANSPORT | #28 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WAYPOINT LOGISTICS LLC | #29 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Brenny Specialized Inc | #34 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Scotland Transportation LLC | #37 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
Portage, Michigan's top trucking carriers right now
The top of the list is Herrington Transportation Inc. at $2,000/week. A few names below the top earn more on a weekly-pay basis but rank lower on the composite.
#1Herrington Transportation Inc. — $2,000/wk
Herrington Transportation Inc. tops the Portage, Michigan ranking with the strongest composite score across pay, safety, benefits, and operational signals. Herrington Transportation Inc. pays above the 86th percentile on weekly pay for the Portage, Michigan market. Lanefinder's application data flags Herrington Transportation Inc. as a responsive employer.
#2McLeod Express LLC — $1,600/wk
McLeod Express LLC is up from #7 last month, one of the largest jumps in the Portage, Michigan ranking. Top FMCSA dimension here is unsafe-driving avoidance, in the 94th percentile. McLeod Express LLC offers a guaranteed weekly minimum.
Among Portage, Michigan's top 10, only McLeod Express LLC pays guaranteed weekly wages — useful if route variance matters.
#3FW TRUCKING — $1,800/wk
FW TRUCKING is up from #17 last month, one of the largest jumps in the Portage, Michigan ranking. FW TRUCKING ranks in the 90th percentile for unsafe-driving avoidance on FMCSA SAFER data.
Also in the top 10: #4 True Transport Inc. at $2,250/wk, #5 PREMIER TRANSPORTATION at $1,950/wk, #6 SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC at $2,100/wk, #7 JK MOVING & STORAGE INC at $2,200/wk, #8 MNS1 EXPRESS INC at $2,050/wk, #9 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #10 Mountain States L.P. Gas at $2,000/wk.
How drivers spend their time on the road in Portage, Michigan
Of active CDL postings in Portage, Michigan this month, 23% are regional and 73% are OTR (long-haul). Local and semi-local routes account for the remaining 4%.
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 2% of Portage, Michigan postings; dedicated routes at 24%; take-truck-home at 79%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 66% and riders-allowed at 66%.
How Portage, Michigan compares to Michigan
| Portage, Michigan | Michigan top 50 | Delta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take-truck-home | 96% | 80% | +16 pt |
| Dedicated routes | 34% | 42% | -8 pt |
| Pet-friendly fleets | 74% | 66% | +8 pt |
| Riders-allowed policies | 84% | 76% | +8 pt |
Source: Lanefinder index, November 2026
Portage, Michigan's biggest divergence from Michigan is on take-truck-home, 16 points above the state baseline.
Driving CDL in Michigan
Michigan is the US automotive heartland — a huge share of CDL work in the state is tied to auto-parts inbound or finished-vehicle outbound. Detroit / Dearborn / Flint lanes have a distinctive operational rhythm that follows plant production schedules, including summer shutdown weeks when freight volume often drops. Winter is the dominant operational variable: lake-effect snow off Lake Michigan can shut down west-side runs, and the freeze-thaw cycle on I-94, I-75, and I-96 means road surfaces are rough year-round. State income tax is flat and moderate. The Upper Peninsula is genuinely remote — long stretches with no fuel stops or services — and most newer drivers shouldn't take UP loads until they've learned the territory.
Related guides
- Best owner-operator companies in Portage, Michigan
- CDL driver salary in Portage, Michigan
- Best trucking companies in Michigan
How we compile these rankings
Rankings combine four signals: compensation (30%) including pay percentile, sign-on bonuses, guaranteed pay, and settlement frequency; FMCSA safety (25%); benefits (25%) scored differently for W2 vs owner-operator carriers; and operational performance (20%) measuring employer responsiveness and fleet scale. Recomputed monthly from real active job postings. Updated November 2026.